There have been conventional electronic cameras having a function of displaying, on a display device, a moving image that can be used as a viewfinder. Among these electronic cameras, a type of camera is known, in which the following two different buffers, two for each, are provided for driving an internal image sensor, an internal display device, and the like in response to a video synchronizing signal (hereinafter, referred to as a V-signal).
One type is a buffer used for temporarily storing data of a moving image generated by the image sensor or the like (hereinafter, referred to as a buffer for photographed image). The other type is a buffer used for temporarily storing data of a moving image to be displayed on the display device (hereinafter, referred to as a buffer for display image).
In such an electronic camera, while moving image data is being stored into one buffer for photographed image in response to a V-signal, the moving image data that has been stored in the other buffer for photographed image in response to the previous V-signal is transferred to one buffer for display image. Similarly, while the moving image data is being transferred to one buffer for display image, the moving image data that has been stored in the other buffer for display image in response to the previous V-signal is displayed on the display device.
To display a moving image by use of the buffers for photographed image and for display image, however, the time for three cycles of the V-signal is required from when the image sensor begins to generate image signals associated with the moving image data until the image signals are displayed on the display device as a moving image. Accordingly, a moving image displayed on the display device is always the image of an object that occurred three cycles of the V-signal earlier.
Therefore, when the user takes a picture, seeing not an object but a moving image, it is hardly possible to release the shutter at the right moment due to the above-described delay of displaying the moving image.